Printing devices are widely used in business, education, and personal settings for creating hardcopy documents of various types. Such devices generally are capable of printing on different types of media, including cellulose-based media, such as paper, polymer-based material, such as transparency overheads, and other media. The ability to print on a wide variety of media types further enhances the printing device's functionality.
Hardcopy documents are sometimes used in applications where excessive wear and tear is an issue. For example, signs, name badges, checklists, etc., may be subjected to rough handling or extended use, and thus may be subject to accelerated deterioration. Cellulose-based media can be especially susceptible to this type of deterioration, because of its structure and porosity.
A laminating technique may be used to protect cellulose-based media that is used in one of the aforementioned situations. For example, laminating cellulose-based media protects it from absorbing dirt and oils during handling that can accelerate its deterioration. Laminating techniques may involve application of heat and/or pressure to secure a laminating material to a media sheet.
Although some printers employ heat and pressure to fuse toner to media, such printers heretofore have not been well-suited to effect laminating due at least in part to differences between the heat and pressure characteristics of toner fusers employed in printing, and the heat and pressure characteristics desired in known laminating techniques. Such printers also have not previously considered the differential feed paths which may be desired to deliver laminating material into operative relation with a media sheet in order to effect laminating of such media sheet.